


Sandbox

by JANJANBERRY



Category: Red vs. Blue
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Pirate, F/M, everything's better with pirates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-28
Updated: 2017-04-26
Packaged: 2018-10-12 01:01:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 13,814
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10478529
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JANJANBERRY/pseuds/JANJANBERRY
Summary: After months stranded on a tropical island, two blue soldiers stumble across something strange washed up on the beach.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> boy howdy am i in rvb hell. i honestly have no idea why pirates, i just liked the idea of tex in one of those loose pirate shirts and it grew from there. i don't really know where this fic is going but it's definitely going. i'd like to give a shoutout to all of my friends irl who suffer through me never shutting up about red vs blue even if they're not actually into it. i'd also like to give a shoutout to myself for actually sitting down and writing something. enjoy.

The hot sun bore down on the white sand of the tiny island where two men were patrolling. The clear ocean water washed their footsteps away almost immediately after they were made as they picked up driftwood along the shore. They were both chatting as they looked around for anything else useful that may have washed up while they were asleep.   
“Okay, so when the Navy comes to get us, we should totally make our story sound super cool.” The shorter of the two said, setting down his pile of wood to tie his dreadlocks back. “We could say we fought for our lives with pirates, or that those red guys almost killed us in our sleep.”  
The taller one, who seemed pretty annoyed with the other, simply sighed. “Tucker, for the last time, we are not telling anyone that we fought pirates. We were dropped off here to keep an eye on the guys on the other side of the island. They were dropped off here to keep an eye on us. The Navy isn’t gong to care what we tell them, because they already know that all we’ve been doing here is sitting on our asses, drinking out of coconuts, fishing, and slowly driving each other insane. Now please, just talk about something else.” He was clearly not having a good day.  
“Yikes,” Tucker replied, picking up his pile of wood again, “sounds like someone woke up on the wrong side of the hammock this morning.”  
“One of these days I’m going to drown you. I hope you know this.” He was kidding even though he didn’t sound like it.   
“Love you too, Church.”   
They picked their way along the beach slowly, but by the time the sun had reached its peak in the sky, they’d stopped actually paying attention to what was on the beach.   
Church was caught up in his own thoughts. They all knew the Navy wasn’t coming back for them. If they didn’t find their own way of the island they’d probably spend the rest of their lives shouting down the other group on the island.  
The only problem with the idea of getting off the island was that he, Tucker, and their other companion Caboose didn’t actually know how to sail, and even if they could, none of them knew how to swim. They were basically trapped until someone sailed close enough to their island to notice that they were stranded.   
As he walked along, he stared blankly ahead at the horizon. That is, until he tripped and flung the driftwood in his arms across the sand.   
“Shit!” He shouted just before he hit the ground.  
Tucker laughed while Church rolled onto his back to see what had tripped him. At first it just looked like a black lump, but as he got a better look it had arms, legs, and long golden hair. “Oh my god it’s a body! It’s a fucking dead body!” He shrieked and he scrambled away.   
Now Tucker wasn’t laughing. “Are you fucking serious?” He looked down at the body. “I think I’m gonna be sick.” He dropped his driftwood and ran to the trees to vomit while Church recovered.   
Now that the hysterics were over, he dared to get a bit closer and try to see just whose body it was. He removed their tricorn hat pulled the tangled mess of blonde hair out of the way to reveal a woman’s face, and she looked pretty alive. He quickly flipped her on her back and pressed his head to her chest just in time for Tucker to come back.   
“Are you seriously desperate enough to put your face on a dead woman’s tits? Not cool man. Not cool.” Tucker called from the grass above the shore.  
“Shut up, Tucker. I think she’s breathing.” He could hear it as well as feel the shallow rise and fall of her chest. “We should get her back to camp. Who knows how long she’s been drifting.” He said, trying to pick her up.   
A flash of gold caught Tucker’s eye. A ring was still on her finger, one decorated with a black gem carved into a skull. “No way, she’s totally a pirate. She’ll probably kill us in our sleep or make us walk the plank when her pirate friends come looking for her. I’m too young to die.”   
Church groaned as he struggled to get to his feet with her in his arms. “Does it really matter? She’ll probably be more pissed if she finds out we didn’t help her. And anyways, when was the last time anyone new showed up on this island? It might be nice to have a new face.”  
“You just wanna bone the pirate chick.” He teased him.  
“When she wakes up I really hope she kills you.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> forgot to give a special shoutout to my boi michael who named this thing with his knowlege of halo and a general shoutout to my d&d squad who i know at least a few are reading this

Church had set the stranger in one of the net hammocks that they slept in once they got back to camp. Tucker still insisted that she was a pirate but had stopped trying to convince Church to leave her on the beach once he had calmed down a bit.   
The two were silent as they started building up the fire with the driftwood Tucker had carried back. Caboose was excitedly watching it grow, but he was more excited about what he had called “a new bestest friend.” It was fish and coconut water for lunch as usual, but this time Church made some extra just in case their new companion woke up hungry. The others didn’t object, especially because if she didn’t want it they’d get extra.   
The sun drooped heavily in the sky, tinting it pink and orange. Tucker and Caboose were off looking for anything that might help with their half finished shelter while Church stayed behind to watch the stranger in his hammock. He was leaning against a palm tree, once again lost in thought, when she first stirred.   
Her eyes lazily drifted open, before widening as she bolted upright. She looked around and spotted Church, then jumped to her feet and pulled her sword out of its scabbard to point it at his throat. “Who are you?” She hissed.  
Church jumped and pressed his back to the tree as he threw his hands up in surrender. “Holy shit!” His voice was a lot higher than he would have liked it to be when dealing with a potential pirate. “M-my name is Leonard Church.”   
“Where am I? Why did you take me here?” the point was almost touching his skin.  
He gulped, glancing nervously at the blade. “We f-found you on the beach. You were passed out.”  
She looked him over critically before sheathing her sword. “Well, you don’t look like much of a threat, but I’ve got my eye on you.” She glared at him, taking a step back to sit in the hammock.  
After catching his breath, Church sat down again. “So, uh, what’s your name?”  
She was silent for a moment. “Tex.”  
“Isn’t that a guys name?” He asked.   
“Yes. It is. Is that a problem?”  
Suddenly fearing she might draw her sword again, he shook his head. “Nope. Not at all.”   
“Good.”  
There was a long pause before Church tried to speak again. “So do you have any idea why you washed up on our island?”  
Tex didn’t respond, but it was clear she had an answer. Something she didn’t want to tell him. Not yet, at least.   
“Did your ship sink, or something?”   
“Stop trying make me talk to you.” She said with a slight sneer.   
“I could have left you on the beach, you know.” He said indignantly. “I busted my ass bringing you here, the least you can do is talk to me.”  
She shot him another glare. “Look, I’m oh so grateful that you pulled me off the sand where I would have been just fine, but trying to use that to force me to talk to you isn’t making me want to talk to you any more. Now leave me alone. If I ever want to talk to you, I will.” She said, crossing her arms and laying down in the hammock.   
Before he could respond, Tucker came back through the trees with Caboose. “Holy shit, the chick’s awake.” He said before sliding over to Tex’s hammock. “Hey baby, you sure you don’t need mouth to mouth?” He gave her a wink.  
“I’m going to give you three seconds to get away from me before I suffocate you with your own inflated ego.” She growled.  
Tucker backed away and put his hands up. “Yikes. Church, you can have dibs. She’s fucking terrifying.”  
Church put his head in his hands. “Please kill him. It’s been months but I still haven’t found the guts to do it.”   
Before Tex could actually strangle Tukcer, Caboose excitedly approached her. “Are you the pirate lady? You are very pretty. I think we are going to be best friends.”  
“I’m not a pirate, just a shipwrecked sailor.” She kept her gaze ahead of her as she bit her lower lip.   
“Okay miss pirate lady.” He said before sitting down next to the fire.   
The night dragged on. Everyone was silent, except for Caboose who was chattering on nonsensically about their adventures on the island so far to an uninterested Tex. Eventually she fell asleep again with her hat over her eyes, prompting Church and Tucker the start talking in hushed voices.  
“I think this was a really bad idea. She’s a total bitch.” Tucker whispered.  
“Oh, you’re just pissed that she rejected your gross pick up line.” Church responded. “Give her some time, maybe she’s just prickly because she woke up after some sort of shipwreck surrounded by strange men who she has no reason to trust, on a strange island where even we aren’t sure where it is.”   
“I think the pirate lady is very mean to Tucker and so I think she is a good lady.” Caboose added. “And I think she and I will be very best friends, but not as much of my best friend as Church.”  
“Shut up, Caboose.” The other two groaned in unison.   
Tucker turned back to Church. “You just want to get with her. We’ve been here for a long time, I totally get it, but she’s like half shark. You don’t stick your dick in crazy.”  
“For the last time, Tucker, I’m not trying to ‘bone’ anything. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but not everything has to do with sex. I’m just trying to do the right thing by not leaving her to drown in the waves.” He hissed. “And even if I wanted to get with her, I did something stupid which probably ruined any chance I had.”  
“What did you do?”   
“I tried guilt tripping her into talking to me. It was stupid and I was pissed, and I think it only made her hate me more.”  
That surprised him. “Wow, you’re actually owning up to being an asshole. You really do wanna get with her.”  
“That’s it. I’m going to kill you in your sleep.”  
“That’s only if the pirate doesn’t get to me first.” Tucker joked in response.   
Church sighed. “One can only hope.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> guess who daydreamed about what i was gonna do with this fic instead of doing their classwork? it was me. the answer is always me. at least i know what i'm doing now.

In the middle of the night, Tex woke up again. She looked around as her eyes adjusted to the darkness around her. Tucker and Caboose were both asleep in the other two hammocks across the camp, resting peacefully in the coarse fishing nets. Church, however, was sleeping on the ground next to the extinguished fire pit. She felt a little bad stealing his makeshift bed after he had taken her to the shade where it was safe and dry. Maybe she was being a bit rude to her hosts.   
She didn’t want to wake him, but he deserved at least a bit of comfort for his rather uncomfortable resting place. After a moment of thought, she got out of her hammock and pulled off her black coat, draping it over him to keep the wind off of his back. He curled up underneath it, clutching it like a blanket. She smiled a bit before climbing back into the hammock and putting her hat back over her eyes 

In the morning, Church was surprised to wake up under a jacket, especially since the only one of them who had a coat was Tex – who he was sure hated him. It smelled of the ocean, but with an underlying sweetness that reminded him of the roses that grew outside of his childhood home.   
Eventually it became too hot to stay under Tex’s coat, despite how he much he wanted to remain under the comfort it provided. He sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes with a yawn. He then stood up and hung the coat on a tree branch before heading towards the beach with one of their fishing nets to catch breakfast.   
By the time he got back, Tucker and Caboose were still asleep, but Tex was awake and had gotten their fire going again. He sat down across from her and started preparing their fish breakfast.  
Once their meal was set up to cook, he sat back and watched the flames dance in front of his eyes. After a few minutes, he looked up across the fire at Tex. “I’m sorry about yesterday. I shouldn’t have tried to make you talk to me if you didn’t want to.”  
“It’s fine. I was just… a little disoriented. I didn’t really know what was happening, so I was kinda crabby.” She replied, much to his surprise. “I should probably be apologizing to you.”  
“Well, thanks for the jacket.”  
“Thanks for the hammock.”  
There was a moment of silence between them, but they could both sense that they were starting to gain each other’s trust.   
Church was the one to break the silence. “So you told Caboose you were shipwrecked. What happened?”  
She drew in a deep breath. “My ship was attacked during a storm and sank.” It was a vague answer, but at least it was mostly true.   
“Attacked? By who?” That answer surprised him. “Pirates? Navy?”  
“Saboteurs in our crew.” She said gravely.   
“Oh. Well, that… that’s rough.” He didn’t know what else to say.   
She was silent again, and this time he decided it was best to leave it.   
He let his mind wander as he tended to the fish roasting on sticks over the fire. His thoughts, of course, wandered to what was right in front of him. It was no wonder she didn’t trust him after members of her own crew betrayed her. That was probably why she’d been so hostile at first.   
His thoughts were interrupted by the sounds of Tucker and Caboose waking up. The smell of breakfast cooking never failed to get them out of their hammocks, even if they were all sick to death of fish.   
Tucker yawned and stretched before plopping down next to Church. “God, I’m hungry…” He groaned.  
“Go get some coconuts for us to drink.” Church told him, poking at the skewered fish to see if it was done.   
“I’m getting really tired of husking coconuts.” He complained.  
“Are you tired of not dying of thirst?” Church remarked in return.  
Tucker huffed before standing up to get some coconuts from the trees on the beach. Caboose followed as usual, trailing after him like an excited puppy.   
Tex watched them go. “So how long ago did you guys get stranded here?”  
Church looked over at a tree covered in tally marks. “Uh, at least six months. The Navy dropped us off here to keep an eye on the guys a different Navy dropped off here.”  
She seemed a bit apprehensive at that comment. “You guys are Navy men?”  
Church gave an iffy hand motion. “Eh, not really. They abandoned us here because we suck. I never really had any loyalty to them in the first place. It was just a job, and I needed the money.”  
“Oh. Well, who’s your captain?” They had to have a leader, even if they’d been dumped here.   
He thought for a minute. “Technically I’m the captain now. Captain Flowers was allergic to the medicine the Navy gave us in our supplies and died, and since I’ve been in the Navy one day longer than Tucker, I’m the captain.”   
“Oh, I’m… sorry for your loss.” It was a genuine condolence.  
He shrugged. “I know it sounds terrible, but we were kind of relieved because it meant our supplies would last longer. I mean, he was a nice guy and it sucks that he’s dead, but it actually made our lives suck way less.” He made a little bit of joke out of it.  
She managed a small laugh. “That is terrible, but my crew was definitely worse. We used to take bets on who would survive whenever we did something dangerous. I used to make a good bit of gold betting against the rookies.” There was a bit of sadness in her tone, but Church decided not to pry.   
Tucker came back and tossed two coconuts to Church, who then used his knife to get the husks off and make holes to drink from. He handed one off to Tex before drinking from his.   
She drank happily, quite thirsty after her time adrift. Maybe washing up on this island of strangers wasn’t as bad as she thought it was, especially since Church didn’t seem to mind sharing their supplies with her. She actually found it kind of sweet that he gave up his hammock for her.   
Suddenly she shook the thought from her mind. It wasn’t good for her to relax so quickly. She couldn’t really know what they were planning. For all she knew, Church was lying to her to gain her trust. For all she knew they could be pirates.  
Pirates just like her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fun fact: I know how to husk a coconut with my teeth because of a youtube video. has nothing to do with the fic but it was a cool video.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm exhausted from a choir thing i had today, but i got the chapter done. also, let's hear it for the season 15 trailer that killed me earlier.

Over the next week, Tex started warming up to the others. She never fully let her guard down, but she was getting used to life on the island. She found Church the least annoying of the three men, so she spent most of her time either with him or alone. She actually didn’t mind his company all that much, and it was nice to have someone to talk to.   
Church very much enjoyed Tex’s company. He’d been stuck with the same people for months, and having someone new to talk to was like finding the Holy Grail. Even when they weren’t talking he was glad to have someone who was fine with some peace and quiet and didn’t feel the need to fill the silence.   
Tex proved to be a great help around the island. She was a fast climber, a good fisher, and a resourceful survivor. With her help, their shelter was shaping up much faster. She even scared off the reds whenever they stirred up trouble. Overall, having her on their side made all of their lives easier.   
One morning, Church and Tex were patrolling the beach. They intended on picking up driftwood for the fire, but just ended up talking instead of paying attention to the task at hand. Her stories of her ship and her crew completely enamored him, and he just couldn’t get enough of them.  
“So you guys took them out by lighting their rum on fire? That’s totally badass.” He commented on one of her tales.   
“It was York’s idea, and it was his lighter that set the barrels on fire. Watching those pirates’ ship burn was just beautiful.” She was smiling, which she didn’t do very often.   
He couldn’t help but smile back. She’d been rather somber at first, but she was really starting to find a little bit of happiness with her newfound companions. It actually made him feel better seeing her happy.   
By the time they got back, they were both pretty tired from walking along the entire half of the island. Tex sat in the hammock they’d set up for her while Church leaned against one of the palm trees it was tied to. He let out a big yawn, running a hand through his dark hair as he stretched his arms upwards and pulled his shirt up just enough to show a bit of midriff.  
Tex couldn’t help but glance at the thin strip of skin that was revealed. She pried her eyes away before he could catch her staring, but there was a faint blush on her cheeks.   
“What?” He said, clueless.   
“Nothing.” She would never admit what she’d just done.   
He raised an eyebrow, but didn’t say anything.   
She tried to forget about it and pretend it had never happened. After all, she wasn’t supposed to even be friends with him. For her own sake as well as his, it would be best if she kept her distance, which meant she shouldn’t be ogling at his midriff. If her captain ever found out about this he would make sure she never laid eyes on a man again, especially not Church.   
The thought of her captain made her shudder, which Church definitely noticed. “Are you okay?”   
“I’m fine.” She said, biting her lip.  
“It’s just-“  
She interrupted him. “I said I’m fine.” Her tone told him it was best not to prod.  
But this was Church, so he prodded anyways. “Obviously you’re not since you’re getting all defensive about it.”  
“I’m not being defensive, now let it go.” She snapped back.  
“Fine, whatever.” He crossed his arms.   
She was silent. He could never know the truth about her. Not about her, not about her crew, not about her captain, not about the attack, none of it. If he knew he would hate her. He would push her away and call her a monster, and she knew she deserved it. Hiding everything made her feel worse, like she was deceiving his into thinking she was worth his time. Still, she couldn’t bring herself to put too much distance between herself and the only person whose company she actually enjoyed.  
“I’m going to go work on the shelter. Who knows when there’ll be a storm.” She said as she got up and started heading into the trees. “I’ll be back.”  
Church took that as a sign that she didn’t want to be followed, and as soon as she was gone he slid down the tree and onto the ground. “Why am I such an asshole.” He muttered to himself.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the late upload, this chapter is a bit longer than the others so it took some extra time. i also spent a good portion of time considering what to do later in this fic, and i think i have a good idea.

Church was still sitting with his head in his hands when Tucker came back from his patrol with Caboose. When he saw him, he sat down next to him. “So what did you do?”  
Church sighed. “She got all touchy when I asked her if she was okay, and then I kept trying to get an answer out of her.”  
“Ooh, bad move.” He said with a slight wince.  
“I know, Tucker. I can tell because she left.”  
“Well, at least you know she has to come back eventually. The island’s only so big, and you’re the only person actually wants to talk to.”  
“You’re the shark-lady whisperer.” Caboose added.  
Church sighed. “I just… I feel like I’m such an asshole sometimes for no fucking reason.”  
“That’s because you are an asshole.” Tucker replied. “But for some reason she likes you. I can tell.”  
“How would you know that? You don’t know anything about women.”  
“We’re alone on an island, and she hasn’t escaped yet. She’s a sailor, Church, you don’t think that if she wanted to get off this hell island that she would have already?” Tucker was actually making sense for once. “She likes you in one way or another, so if you just apologize when she comes back things will go back to normal.”  
Church was surprised. “Wow… that was… surprisingly thoughtful.”  
“And then you can bone her.” Tucker added.  
“There’s the Tucker I know.” The nice moment was ruined.  
Caboose looked confused. “Bone? Church, you should not take her bones. She needs those.”  
“I know Caboose. I’m not going to steal her bones. You don’t have to worry.” Church patted him on the back.  
“If anything she’s gonna be the one taking your bones. Bow-chika-bowwow.” Tucker joked.  
“God dammit, Tucker!” Church shouted before standing up. “I’m gonna go wash up. If you try to join me I swear to god I’ll drown you.”  
“What about if Tex joins you?” Tucker had a mischievous smile.  
“I’m going to tell her you said that.” He said as he headed towards the beach.  
Tucker’s face dropped. “You’re joking, right? Please be joking, I wanna live.” 

Tex was just wandering around the island. She sort of knew her way around from walking with Church, but she wasn’t really paying attention to where she was going. Eventually she ended up sitting beneath the trees by the beach and staring out at the ocean.  
Memories of her old crew haunted her. The attack probably killed the ones that hadn’t already been sent to their deaths by the captain. She could cling to the hope that if she had survived then maybe some of them had. Still, the chances were slim, and she had no way of knowing. She’d seen some drown with her own eyes; others were thrown to the flames that consumed the ship. She could still hear their screams when she looked out at the water. The water that had killed her shipmates but spared her. She wanted to stand and curse at the gentle waves that lapped at the sand, but she just didn’t have the energy.  
Instead, she hugged her knees to her chest and put her head down. She could have left this island by now, but she didn’t want to go out on the water ever again. As badly as she wanted to find civilization and drown her sorrows in cheap rum, she couldn’t stand the idea of setting foot on a ship. Maybe this was the hell she deserved for dishonest life. Trapped on an island where all she could do was sit and reflect in a purgatory of not knowing whether the people she had once called friends were even alive.  
At least she had one thing. She had these strange men in blue shirts that decided to take her in. Church in particular kept her from being fully convinced that she’d died and gone to hell. His company had kept her sane, and helped her distract herself from the horrors she’d witnessed during the tempest that struck during the attack.  
For a moment she considered spilling everything to him, but quickly pushed the thought out of her mind. She couldn’t let him in. She couldn’t let anyone in. She would only hurt him by telling him the full truth.  
She looked up from her wallowing to see Church on his way down to the beach. His back was turned to her, and it seemed that he hadn’t noticed her yet. She remained silent so as not to disturb him.  
Church was lost in his own thoughts, too distracted to bother to make sure he was alone before pulling his loose, faded blue shirt over his head and tossing it onto the dry sand.  
Tex’s face turned bright red, but she couldn’t stop staring. She was frozen with embarrassment, and maybe a little bit of something else. She had to admit; his time on the island had certainly been kind to him. He was lean and muscular, which seemed to help that something else urging her  
He went on, humming to himself as he pulled off his trousers. Tex had to cover her mouth to keep from letting out a startled sound. She couldn’t help but notice the fine curve of his hips, and that he had a cute butt.  
She tried to back away and give him some privacy, but as she leaned back on her arm a twig snapped, causing Church to turn around.  
The two of them made eye contact, both turning red as tomatoes, but Tex’s eyes wandered for just a brief second before going right back up to Church’s eyes. The blush on his face brought out the green of his irises, stirring up that little something else even more.  
He grabbed his pants up off the ground to cover up. “I am so sorry.”  
“Don’t apologize, I-I shouldn’t have… I should go.” She said as she stood up and turned to the woods.  
Church was stunned for a bit, not sure of what to make of what had just happened. He figured it was best not to mention it. After all, it seemed like his stupid mouth was the source of most of their problems. Once he was sure he was alone he continued on with the task at hand, and went into the water. 

It was dinner that brought them back to camp, but they wouldn’t look each other in the eyes as they ate. Tucker noticed it almost immediately. “So did you guys fuck of what?”  
Church almost choked on his food. “Tucker!”  
“What? I’m just curious. You guys won’t even look at each other so you either made things worse or you got it on.”  
Tex had to put a stop to this. “Nothing happened.” She bit her lip.  
Tucker wasn’t convinced. “Something happened.”  
“That’s a matter of a penis- I mean opinion.” Her face turned red.  
Tucker had the biggest shit-eating grin.  
Church just groaned. “She saw me naked, happy now?”  
“Actually, yeah. I’m fucking delighted.”  
“God I fucking hate you.” He didn’t mean it, but Tucker was really starting to get on his nerves with the way he talked about Tex. Something about the way he only referred to her in the context of sex really irked him. Not only was it pretty disrespectful, there was some underlying feeling of protectiveness. He just brushed it off as defending his friend, but that didn’t fully describe it.  
There was silence for the rest of the night, but Tex was glaring daggers into Tucker. Clearly she didn’t like the way he talked about her either. Her cold gaze put him on edge, causing him to glance at her nervously from time to time, scared even more by the slight smirk on her face from seeing the fear in his eyes. It even scared Church a bit, but if intimidation was what it took to get Tucker to learn to watch his mouth then he had no problem with it.  
By the time they were all ready to go to sleep, Tex had stopped, but Tucker was still a bit wary of her, even going as far as swapping hammocks with Caboose to be further away from her.  
This brought indescribable joy to her, though she wouldn’t let it show on her face. She was still the big scary pirate she was before, even if they didn’t know it yet.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> another late upload, but it's another longer chapter. i've been writing on and off while listening to steam powered giraffe all day.

Things were better in the morning. Tex had headed out early, though. She seemed to want some time alone, and no one was really going to stop her. Tucker wouldn’t even look at her when she left her spot around the fire. He looked as if he’d lost sleep over what had happened the night before. Once Tex was gone, though, his thoughts were out in the open.  
“Why does it feel like everything I do is wrong?” He asked Church.  
“Maybe you should start by talking about Tex like a person.” He suggested. “That might help with the doing everything wrong.”  
He cast his eyes down. “I just… I thought that’s what other guys liked to talk about. Back home I had a few friends who’d just say stuff like that, and I guess I picked up on it trying to fit in and all. I don’t think I realized until now how stupid I sound.”  
That took Church by surprise. Tucker almost never talked about home, except to brag about some fake hook-up. “Your friends sound like assholes.”  
“They were, but I felt like I had to prove myself as a man. Otherwise no one would ever take me seriously. Men are tall and handsome and do manly things like fighting and talking about sex and not caring how many hearts they break, but I’m a lover, not a fighter, and I’m the same height as Tex.” This was the most heartfelt thing Tucker had ever said to Church.  
“I understand.” He had never been the manliest of men either. Part of why he’d joined the Navy was the same stupid notion of proving himself.  
“Trust me, you really don’t.” He seemed to be alluding to something else as the root of his need to feel manly.  
“Well, you don’t have to prove yourself to me, and I’m sure Caboose doesn’t care either. It’d certainly help keep us all sane if you’d quit making those stupid comments. We’re all gonna die here anyways unless Tex decides to take us with her when she gets sick of this place, so we might as well be real with each other.” He actually liked this side of Tucker much more than the macho façade he put on.  
Tucker sighed. “I should probably apologize to Tex.”  
“If you value you’re life you really should.”  
“Maybe when she comes back.” He didn’t want to barge in on her privacy and make her even more pissed at him.  
But Tex didn’t come back for lunch like they all usually did. She was still off somewhere on her own, even as dark clouds started obscuring the sun. When the rain started coming down was when Church really started getting to get worried. The three men crammed into their little shelter Tex had helped them build in case of rain. The large leaves that made up the roof of their hovel helped keep some of the rain off, that was, until the wind started tearing them off. Now they only had a few shabby walls made of sticks, logs, and palm fronds to protect them from the storm.  
After waiting for Tex to show up for a while, Church couldn’t just sit idly by while she was out taking the brunt of the storm. “I’m going out to find Tex.” He shouted over the high winds beating at their shelter.  
“Are you fucking crazy? If you think it bad in here then it’s only gonna be worse out there.” Tucker yelled back.  
“She’s out there alone, I’ve gotta do something.” He started fighting to get to his feet, the wind trying to keep him down. Eventually he managed to get up and walk out, calling for Tex to try and bring her back to shelter.  
After a few minutes of being tossed around by the wind and wandering the island, he found her hiding under the shelter of a hollow in a boulder. She was curled up, shaking and hyperventilating as she clutched at her ears to block out the sound of the raging wind.  
He sat next to her. “Tex, what’s wrong?” He reached out to put a hand on her shoulder, but hesitated, unsure of how she might respond.  
“It’s my fault, Church. It’s all my fault. I couldn’t save them.” She sobbed, looking up at him with terrified eyes.  
He was confused. “What? No, the storm isn’t your fault. That doesn’t even make sense.”  
“They’re going to die because of me. I couldn’t stop him.” She didn’t quite seem to be in the present. She was caught up in memories of storm clouds and drowning sailors. Her friends crying against the wind and rain hitting the ocean water rushing into their lungs through their open mouths. The reflection of her ship burning on the water as the captain and his first mate sat in a boat and watched indifferently as the sea took their crew. The burn in her own lungs as she fought against the waves trying to pull her under. It all rushed back to her with the tempest striking their island and tearing at both the trees and her mind.  
“Tex, I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He put a hand on either shoulder and looked her in the eyes. “Look at me, look at me and tell me what’s going on.”  
Those intense green eyes dragged her back to reality. That was all just a few weeks ago, but for now she was okay. She wasn’t drowning, just panicked. Church was there, and though his eyes were the same shade of green as her captain’s cold and calculating gaze, they were full of warmth and concern.  
“Church… I-I…” She couldn’t finish her sentence before the tears surfaced again. She leaned into him and rested her head against his chest, not really caring that they were both soaked from the rain. “I’m sorry. I should have told you. I should have told you when we met.”  
He wrapped his arms around her and rubbed her back comfortingly. “Shh… It’s okay.”  
She wanted to tell him the truth about everything, but her fear of losing his companionship choked her. “I… I…”  
“Tex, you can tell mean anything. We’re going to be stuck here together for a long time, you might as well trust me.”  
She drew in a shaky breath before speaking. “My ship… we… I was the one who betrayed the crew. I sank the Mother of Invention.”  
His eyes widened. “The Mother of Invention? But that’s-“  
“A pirate ship. And I was one of her pirates.”  
He was silent for a moment. Tex had probably killed people, even turning on her own pirate friends, but he kept his arms around her.  
“You were remembering the attack, weren’t you? The storm reminded you.”  
She nodded.  
“So why did you do it?” He had to know because he wanted so badly for her to be someone he could still be close to, and if she didn’t have a redeeming story he wasn’t sure he could live with the feeling in his chest when he held her like this.  
“I didn’t want to be a pirate anymore. I didn’t want to live with the man who ordered me around like a prized guard dog, and I wanted to save the others from him.” She hated to remember him. Just the image of his face in her mind made her feel sick. “He tried to keep me for himself by isolating me from the others, so I set his filthy pirate ship on fire.”  
Church remained silent, which scared Tex.  
“You hate me now don’t you? Because I’m a pirate. Because I sank my own ship.”  
“I don’t hate you, Tex.”  
“I do.”  
The storm raged on around them, but the rock provided just enough shelter to keep the stinging rain off the two of them. Its howling winds tormented her with her own memories. She shut her eyes, trying to block it all out.  
“I’m a monster, Church. I’ve done horrible things without question just because I was told to. I left my own crew – my friends – to burn and drown.” She clung to him tightly.  
“You’re not a monster. The fact that you feel bad proves that.” He was trying his best to comfort her.  
“You don’t know what I’ve done.”  
“I know you’ve made my life better.”  
She was silent, but some of her fear had been relieved. He didn’t hate her. In fact, he seemed to have a higher opinion of her than she did of herself.  
By the time the rain started to ease up, Tex had drifted to sleep in his arms. Church didn’t really mind, though. He kissed her forehead and leaned back against the boulder, then closed his eyes to wait out the rest of the storm.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is now officially my longest fic. i'm proud of myself for keeping up the daily posting and actually doing writing rather than hoping someone will rp with me. it makes for good practice, especially now that the person who used to be my main rp partner has stopped responding.

When Tex woke up, Church was still holding her in his sleep. The rain had turned into a light shower and the clouds had thinned enough to see the sky turning pink as the sun went down. She looked up at him, and couldn’t help but let a faint smile find its way onto her face. When they were like this she felt so small, but she didn’t mind. It was a nice break from having to be the biggest baddest pirate around.   
Now that she had the chance to just look at him, she realized he was the spitting image of the man she’d tried to hard to escape from, just twenty years younger. They had the same dark hair, the same nose, even the same eyes. If Church had been older and decided to slick his hair back they’d be almost completely identical. The resemblance was a bit chilling, but there was one big difference; while her captain’s face showed years of cruelty, Church’s was full of warmth and humor. It’s why she didn’t notice before. Even though he was sarcastic and sometimes didn’t know when to hold his tongue, he was still a good man at heart.  
Church woke up to find Tex staring at his face. He was a bit confused but managed to smile at her. “You okay?”  
“I’m just fine thanks to you.”   
His smile widened and he pressed his forehead against hers. “I’m glad.”  
There were only a few short inches between their lips. Both desperately wanted to close that distance, but neither wanted to make the first move and scare off the other. They looked into each other’s eyes briefly, asking permission before they both moved to bring their lips together. The kiss was brief, but it showed what they were both hesitant to say aloud.   
When they pulled away, they were both smiling brightly.   
“We should probably head back to camp before the others get worried.” Church suggested.  
“What’s the hurry? It’s still raining, I think we should wait it out.” She really didn’t want to hear any of Tucker’s comments about this, not so soon after such a nice moment.   
“The hurry is that neither of us got to eat lunch, and I’m pretty hungry.” His stomach growled as if to prove his point.   
“Fine, but don’t say a word about this to Tucker. I can’t be held responsible for what I’ll do if he says something stupid.”  
“I don’t think you’ll have to worry about him.” He assured her. “Now come on, we might not have to drink out of coconuts tonight.” 

By the time they made it back to camp, the rain had let up and they could see the last bits of the sunset through the trees. Tucker and Caboose were hauling barrels full of rainwater from the beach up to where the fire pit used to be. One of the hammocks had been torn to shreds, their shelter was in shambles, and a few trees had fallen into their clearing.   
“You guys are okay! We were starting to get worried.” Tucker said, letting go of the barrel he’d been hauling. “Don’t run off like that again, alright? Caboose gets upset when you leave for too long.”   
Church let out a laugh. “You actually missed me? I was only gone for… uh… shit, how long were we out?”  
Tex shrugged.  
“So what the hell happened?” Tucker asked.  
Church and Tex looked at each other before he answered. “Tex found shelter under a boulder, and I didn’t want to walk back so I decided to keep her company.”  
Tucker saw the look and was about to comment, but he held his tongue – much to Tex’s surprise.   
“So what about you and Caboose? What did you guys do when the shelter went down?” Church could see that the others were a little worse for wear. They both looked exhausted.   
“Tex’s hammock got wrecked, so we used what was left of it to tie ourselves to a tree to keep the wind from pushing us over.” He pointed to the remains of the hammock. “Sorry, Tex. You can use my hammock if you want.”  
That really surprised her. “It’s fine. I’ll sleep on the ground.” She had expected him to keep up his usual quips and jokes at her expense.   
Church opened his mouth to offer to share his hammock, but he wasn’t sure if Tex wanted the others to know about anything that had just transpired. It was a bit more complicated than it seemed, because even with the kiss he wasn’t sure what Tex wanted of him. Did she want a relationship? Or was it just for the moment?   
He spent the rest of the night unsure of how to act around her. They’d have to talk about this eventually, but it would have to be some other time when they could be alone.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> not gonna lie, if tex kissed me my little lesbian heart would probably explode. church is a strong man.

Tucker and Caboose went to sleep pretty early. They were both exhausted from the storm, and tipped right into their hammocks once the moon went up, leaving Church and Tex to discuss what had happened earlier. They sat next to each other on the damp ground, watching the pitiful fire they’d managed to make with the scraps of dry wood they had left. Church gently placed his hand over Tex’s to gauge her reaction. She tensed and looked down at their hands, then up at him before relaxing a bit.   
After a few moments, Church broke the silence. “So what are we?”   
“What do you mean?” She said, raising an eyebrow.  
“Well, we kissed, but what does that mean for us?” He looked into her eyes.  
She took a moment to process the question. “I… I don’t know.” She pulled her hand away and hugged her knees to her chest. “I’ve never gotten the chance to get close to anyone. I’ve spent so long forced to keep my distance from people.”  
“I’ve never had a relationship either.” He didn’t really know what he was doing.  
“Yeah, but you were allowed to have feelings. I made the mistake of jokingly flirting with another crewmember one time. I spent the next week trapped in my quarters by the captain. He barely tolerated me being friends with the rest of the crew, and even then he forced me to stay on the sidelines.” Her lips curled into a snarl. “I don’t think I can have a normal relationship after that.”  
He sighed. “I… I’m sorry you had to go through that.”  
“Why are you apologizing? It’s not your fault.”  
There was a moment of silence between them.  
“Well, even if we can’t have a normal relationship, I want to be with you. I’d basically resigned to spending the rest of my life miserable on this island. I didn’t really have anything to go back to, anyways, so I didn’t bother trying to build a raft or anything, but then you came along, and suddenly I’m not just surviving on this hell island, I’m living. Our lives will never be normal, but at least we can have each other.” He’d never really talked about his acceptance of his fate. It seemed too melancholy to bring up when they all needed to do whatever they could to survive.   
“Are you sure you’d want someone like me?” She met his gaze.  
“I don’t want someone like you, Tex. I want you.” He almost got lost in those beautiful blue eyes.   
A light pink blush spread across her cheeks. No one had ever said anything so romantic to her. She wasn’t sure if it was actually sweet or if it was just that she just had nothing better to compare it to, but she didn’t really care. She cast her eyes aside for a moment before placing her hand on top of Church’s, then leaning in to kiss his cheek. “I don’t really care what we call it, I just know that you’re the sweetest guy I’ve ever met.”  
“You really haven’t met a lot of guys have you?” He joked.  
“No, but next to Tucker you look like a god damn hero.” She remarked back at him.  
Eventually, the fire went out, and they both grew tired of watching the coals die out. Church stood and stretched. “You know, my hammock is big enough for two people. If you’d like, we could share.” He offered.   
She smiled and stood up as well. “I wouldn’t mind, but don’t put your hands anywhere they don’t belong.”   
“I wouldn’t dream of it. This may surprise you, but I don’t want to get murdered.” He said as he climbed in.   
“Maybe some other time when we’re alone you can let your hands wander a bit, but I think Tucker will get enough of a kick out of us sharing a bed.” She crawled in on top of him and curled up in his arms.  
“Okay, even he knows you can’t have sex in a hammock.” Church had a hard enough time getting in and out of his hammock; he couldn’t imagine trying to get anything other than sleep done in it.  
She managed a smile as she closed her eyes. “Goodnight, Church.”  
“Goodnight.”


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a fairly short chapter due to the fact that i'm in the planning stage of another fic with a very different tone. i might get started on the first chapter of that today if i have time.

In the morning, Church and Tex were a tangle of limbs. He pulled a lock of hair out of his mouth and tried to stretch, but Tex was still asleep on top of him. He wouldn’t be able to get up until she woke up, which was a problem because he really had to pee.   
Tex was curled up on top of him like a cat. She looked so peaceful; it was hard to imagine that she had once been a fearsome pirate. Her face, so often pulled into a natural scowl, was relaxed and gentle. Even the scars she’d received in her years of fighting seemed less pronounced while she was in this state.   
He didn’t have the heart to wake her. It seemed cruel to make her get up when she seemed just fine like this, especially after the storm the day before. Usually she was up early to train herself, but today she had slept in. Clearly she needed the rest, but Church needed to get up.   
Eventually he was spared. Her eyes cracked open as she unfurled and stretched. “Mornin’” She said before trying to get out.It took a bit more effort than usual, but she managed to get down from the hammock without injuring herself or Church.   
He got up soon after. “I’m gonna go catch breakfast.” He said, quickly grabbing their fishing net and darting off into the trees. She raised an eyebrow and watched him go, but decided not to follow, in favor of starting their fire up again.  
Tucker woke up shortly after they did. He stretched, his shirt riding up and revealing a long scar along his stomach. Tex didn’t seem to notice, and if she did, she certainly didn’t say anything. He sat down across from her, still sort of asleep.   
“I overheard you and Church talking last night.” He said with a yawn.  
She tensed up. Tucker had been eavesdropping on their very private conversation. How much did he know?  
“I just want to tell you to treat him right. He’s my best friend, and if you hurt him there’s gonna be hell to pay.”   
She stifled a laugh. “Are you threatening me?” She actually found it kind of sweet that he wanted to protect Church. “Don’t worry, I don’t plan on messing with him. We’re both gonna be stuck here for a while and I don’t think breaking his heart will make any of our lives easier.”   
“I’ve dealt with pirates before, Tex. They’re greedy and they don’t care what they do to other people. Church may think you’re not like that, but I’m not so sure.” He sounded pretty serious.   
Before she could ask when he had dealt with pirates, Church came back with breakfast in his net. “Who’s hungry?”  
Tucker suddenly acted like their conversation had never happened. “What took so long?”   
“The fishing just wasn’t good today.” He shrugged.   
Tex was suddenly very curious about Tucker. There was definitely more to him than there seemed at first, and it was becoming more noticeable now that he had stopped mocking her with his snide remarks. It felt like the more she got to know him, the less she actually knew. Right now she only had his name and whatever personality he was putting up around him for others to see, but she was determined to go deeper now that she’d seen a bit of it.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> shoutout to my friends who don't watch rvb who are reading this, y'all are the real heroes

Later in the day, she and Church were lazing about on the beach. The sun was scorching, and they couldn’t really do much else than sit in the shade of the palm trees and watch the water.   
Eventually, Church grew tired of lounging in the heat. “That’s it I’m going in the water. It’s too damn hot to stay here.” He said, standing from where the two had been lying in the beach grass.   
Tex sat up. “Just don’t stay for too long, you’ll get a sunburn.” She warned him.   
“I’ll be fine.” He assured he as he took his shirt off. “Would you care to join me?”   
“No thanks. I don’t really like being in the water.” Ever since she had washed ashore on this island, she had avoided the water. The last time she had been in it, she had nearly drowned with her crewmates.   
“Alright, suit yourself.” He started walking down the sand and into the ocean. The cool waves lapped at his legs as he waded deeper and deeper, but he stopped when the water was up to his chest.   
She watched him as she leaned against a tree. She didn’t feel so bad about staring now that he actually knew she was there. It was nice watching him so relaxed in the water. After a few minutes, it occurred to her that maybe she would join him, she just wouldn’t go in as deep.   
Tex stood and did the same as Church, pulling her top off over her head and walking towards the water. The hot sand burned her feet, so she hurried over to him.   
“Glad you could join me.” He said as she waded into the water.   
She only went in up to her waist. “You know, you’re a lucky man.”  
“And why’s that?” He asked.  
“You’re the first to ever see me topless and live to tell the tale.” She joked.  
“And what happened to the others?”   
She thought for a minute. “Well, one of them walked the plank, and the other I shot between the eyes.”  
“At least you can shoot. I missed a target that was five feet in front of me once. Tucker never let me live it down.” He was the worst shot on the island.   
“You guys have a gun?” She’d never seen it.   
“We did, but no gun powder, so we traded it to the reds for the knife.” He waded closer to her.   
“Well, I guess you don’t have much use for it. The reds don’t seem too bad, and there’s not really any animals to shoot for food.”   
He shrugged. “It was just a stupid piece of metal once we ran out of ammo.”   
The two chatted in the water for a bit, not really noticing as the tide slowly came in. Eventually he was up to his shoulders, and she was treading water.   
“You know, I never did learn how to swim.” He said, noticing how well she seemed to be doing it. “That’s really the only reason we’ve never tried leaving.”   
“You know, if you really want to get off this island, I can teach you to swim.” She wouldn’t mind getting back to civilization eventually, even if it was just to get a nice glass of scotch. “I could teach Tucker and Caboose too if they wanted to learn.”  
“I thought you hated the water.” He was referring to earlier.  
“I do, but I’m swimming with you now, aren’t I?” She said. He was really the only reason she was in the water in the first place. Church was the perfect distraction from the fear in her belly.   
He thought for a moment. “I am pretty sick of fish… I think I’ll take you up on that offer.”   
“Then it’s settled. I’ll teach you and the others to swim, and when we get back to society, you’ll be my bitch.”  
“Deal, but only if Tucker has to be your bitch too.”   
“Don’t worry, you’ll all be my bitches, and then maybe we’ll set out to hunt for gold.” She got this glint in her eye when she mentioned gold. It scared him a little bit.   
“I just want to eat something that didn’t come from the ocean and get fucking plastered.” He missed having his food not taste like sweat.  
“You and me both. Drinking contest?”   
“You’re on.”


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry i couldn't update this fic last night, but i'll try to keep up with my regular daily posting.

When the two got out of the water, it was still dreadfully hot. They made their way back to the trees across the hot sand and sat next to where they’d left their shirts.   
“It’s almost time for lunch.” Church said, putting a hand over his grumbling stomach.   
“I think I’m gonna take a nap before I eat. Swimming is exhausting.” She yawned, reaching for her shirt. “Oh crap.”  
“What?”  
“There’s bird shit on my shirt.” She grumbled. “I can’t go back to camp like this. I don’t want the others seeing me topless.” She was completely exposed, and her coat was with the hat back by the hammocks.   
“Don’t worry. You can wear mine.” Church offered. “We’ll wash yours after lunch.”  
She certainly didn’t have any complaints. It meant she got a shirt, and a shirtless Church. It was really a win-win. “Are you sure?” She asked just to seem like she wasn’t too excited about it.  
“It’s fine. The others probably won’t care if I’m shirtless, but I can’t guarantee that Tucker will keep his eyes to himself in you show up half naked.” He jested  
She happily slipped into his pale blue shirt. It was definitely too big for her, and hung lopsided off one of her shoulders, but it was comfortable. After rolling up the sleeves so they didn’t cover her hands, hey started their walk back to camp.  
When they got back, Tucker was etching something into flat piece of wood. As soon as he saw them, however, he tucked it under the torn pieces of fabric he used for a pillow. “Jesus Christ, Church, put a fucking shirt on.” He groaned.   
“Fuck off, Tucker. I’ve got some news you might want to hear.” Church responded, crossing his arms.   
“In that case, congratulations on getting the only girl on the island pregnant.” He sat up and let his feet dangle above the ground.  
Church faked a laugh. “Very funny, but this is real news. We’re going home.”  
The humor left Tucker’s face. “What?”  
“Tex is going to teach us how to swim, and then we’re gonna build a raft and get off this stupid island.”   
“Holy shit. Are you serious?” He leaped to his feet, a smile spreading across his face. “We’re going home…”  
Tex didn’t want him to get too excited just yet. “It’ll take some time to get you guys seaworthy, but yes, we’re going home.”  
“Tex, I could fucking kiss you right now, but I want to live so Church is just gonna have to take that risk for me.” She’d never seen him so happy.   
“I’ll tell Caboose when he gets back from whatever he’s off doing.” Church offered.   
“Why don’t you go find him? I think he’s over by that big boulder near the red half of the island.” Tucker said, pointing in the general direction.  
Church nodded before heading off, leaving Tucker and Tex alone.  
There was a brief silence before Tucker spoke. “I… I wanted to ask you something. Something pretty personal.”   
That took her by surprise. She was under the impression that Tucker didn’t trust her. “Go ahead.”   
“Do you think you could teach me separately from the others? I don’t want them making fun of me.”   
That really surprised her. Tucker seemed to be the most confident out of all of them. “Why would you be worried about that? Church can be an asshole, but not that kind of asshole, and Caboose is a total sweetheart.”   
He sighed. “I… I don’t want to swim with my shirt off.”  
She raised an eyebrow. “That’s what you’re worried about? That they’ll tease you for, what, your muscles?”  
“It’s… A bit more complicated than that.” He sighed. “I have some scars I’d rather not let them see.”  
“And you’re fine with me seeing them?”  
“I think you’re the only one who would sort of understand.”  
She was silent for a moment. “I’ll teach you privately, but you shouldn’t worry about what the others.”  
“I know, I know. I’d just rather not show them. Not yet at least.” He sat back in his hammock.   
“I understand.” There was a lot she hadn’t told Church yet. “Now, can I ask you something?”  
“What?”   
“What were you writing earlier?” She gestured towards where he’d hidden his work.  
He looked at the spot she pointed to, and then hesitantly pulled it out to show her. Drawn with the charcoal from last night’s fire, was the face of a child. “My son, Lavernius Tucker Jr.”  
“You have a kid?”   
“He’s staying at a home for kids whose parents are overseas. His birthday was a couple days ago.” He looked wistfully at the drawing. “I miss him.”  
“Why can’t he stay with his mother?”   
“He doesn’t have one.”  
“Oh. I’m sorry.” That stopped the conversation. Tucker carefully tucked his drawing away and leaned back in his hammock just in time for Church to return with a very excited Caboose.   
“We are going home! There will be so many dogs to pet. I will pet them all.” Caboose was smiling brightly. “Miss Tex is going to take us home.” He ran over to give her a hug.  
Caboose was about a foot taller than both her and Tucker, and he picked her up quite easily in his big teddy bear arms. If Church hadn’t made him put her down, he might have broken her spine with his hug.  
“That’s right Caboose. I’m taking you boys home.”


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i have returned after a few busy days. i try to put my spare time into adding onto my fics, but things are probably going to stay busy for a while. as requested by my boy michael, we've got some reds in this chapter.

The first swimming lesson went, well, swimmingly. She took Church and Caboose down to the beach right after breakfast, while Tucker disappeared for some private time. The waves were gentle that day, so it was easy to get them started by teaching them to float. Caboose caught on pretty quickly, and easily bobbed in the waves on his back like an otter. Church, on the other hand, was having some difficulty. He sunk like a rock because every time his feet stopped touching the sand, he started thrashing to try and stay afloat.   
After another failed attempt to get him to lie on his back, Tex decided to help him out while Caboose happily floated along and watched the birds fly overhead.   
She took him a bit deeper than he had been before, but it was still only up to her waist so her tied up shirt didn’t get wet. “Alright, just lay back in my arms. Don’t move, just relax and let me carry you.” She put her arms out to catch him.  
“You won’t let me go under, right?” He wasn’t having much fun with the lesson so far. She’d had to help him to his feet more times than he would have liked to admit.   
“Of course not. Now lean back, you fucking baby.” She teased him.   
He lowly lowered himself down so she was holding him up in the water, using all his concentration not to struggle.   
“Perfect. Now just relax.” She had one hand under his back, and one holding his legs up at the knees.   
He let his muscles get a bit les rigid, but he was still a little unsure about whether he’d float or not.   
That really wasn’t going to work well enough for her. “Relax a little bit more. It’s easier to float with less tension in your body.”  
“This is about as relaxed as I get.” He wasn’t the most laid back person.  
A slight smirk pulled at her lip. “Maybe I can help you with that.”  
His cheeks turned pink. “Oh.” He was so distracted by the comment that he didn’t even notice that she had let go.   
She leaned back and floated next to him, prompting him to realize he was freely drifting on the water.  
“I’m doing it! Holy shit, I’m doing it!” He exclaimed with a big grin on his face. “I’m swimming!”  
“No, you’re floating, start kicking your legs slowly and then you’ll be swimming.” She said before demonstrating. “Push yourself with your arms.”   
He managed to keep up pretty well now that he had gotten floating down.   
“Church!” Caboose said excitedly. “I have made a new friend!”   
Church and Tex both stood in the water to see what he was talking about, and were faced with quite the sight. A seagull was sitting on Caboose’s chest, preening itself.   
“That’s… uh… nice?” Church seemed pretty surprised. “Don’t try to pet your new friend though, you’ll get sick.”  
“Okay!” Caboose just admired the bird sorting through its feathers without trying touch it.  
Tex looked up at Church. “I think it’s cute how you take care of the others. You’re like their dad.”  
“I’m just trying to keep us alive.” He shrugged.  
Suddenly, from further up the beach, there was shouting. “Hey! What are you dirty blues doing?” It was the leader of the reds, with the other three trailing behind him.   
“We are making friends!” Caboose responded.   
“Tex is teaching us how to swim.” Church called to them.  
The reds turned and looked at each other as they whispered.   
“Why?” The tall skinny redhead asked. Tex could recall Church telling her his names was Simmons.   
“So we can build a raft and go home.” Church replied.  
The reds once again turned to discuss.   
“Can she teach us?” The one on the orange shirt spoke this time. Grif was his name.   
Church turned to Tex. “What do you think?” He asked her, much quieter than the shouting back and forth he had been doing.  
“I could teach them,” she paused, “for a price.”  
He turned back to the reds. “What do you have?”  
“We have the pistol you traded us.” Simmons offered.  
“We don’t have any gunpowder.” Church called back.  
The one in the pink shirt spoke this time. “I have a few bottles of wine.” That one was Donut. He was a pretty sweet kid most of the time, though he did knock her out with a coconut once.   
The mention of alcohol caught Tex’s attention. “Is that all the drinks you have?” She asked, trying to get as much out of this as she could. She was a pirate, after all.   
“We’ll give you all the alcohol we can find.” Their leader shouted. He was a stout, older man who they only ever called Sarge. No one was quite sure if he was actually a sergeant, or if that was just his name.   
“Deal!” She didn’t even pause to let Church say anything. If she was lucky, she’d go to sleep with a few swigs of scotch in her belly. “Bring the goods tonight and we’ll get you started tomorrow afternoon.” She would be busy with Tucker’s first lesson in the morning, but after that she could teach all the rest together.  
“We’ll meet you here at sundown.” Simmons said before they all started heading back to their own camp.  
Tex couldn’t help but smile as she turned to Church. “Drinks are on me tonight.”


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> things are gonna get a little saucy in this chapter, but there's no porn (yet). any nsfw stuff will be in a separate chapter with no plot stuff in it.

After the sun had gone down, Tex was enjoying the spoils of her deal with the reds. They’d given her six bottles of wine, two bottles of scotch, a bottle of rum, and a bottle of vodka. She, Church, and Tucker were sharing one of the bottles of wine over the fire, but had dipped a bit into the scotch as well. None of them had had any alcohol for a while, so they got tipsy fast.   
“Y’know, I’m really glad Church didn’t listen to me when I said to leave you on the beach.” Tucker slurred. “You’re the best damn thing that’s happened on this island.”  
Tex, who was sitting in Church’s lap, took a swig of wine before responding. “That’s the nicest thing anyone’s ever said to me.” She had been drinking more than the others, but she was about the same amount of drunk.   
Church made a vague grabbing motion towards the bottle, but instead of handing it to him, Tex just pressed the bottle to his lips and tipped it back. There wasn’t much left, but the bottle had been enough for the three of them.   
When he had had enough, he pulled away, careful not to spill any on himself. “I think some fuckin’ god or somthin’ sent Tex to us as like an angel.”  
Her already rosy cheeks took on a darker tone. “Aw… yer jus’ the sweetest thing aren’t ya’?” She touched the tip of his nose with her finger, though it took a couple tries to actually hit it. “Isn’t he the sweetest?” She draped her arms around his neck and looked to Tucker for a response.   
“He’s alright. He’s jus’ not my type.” He replied, looking Church over.  
He seemed to take offense to this. “Hey, I’m super sexy. I’m everyone’s type.”   
“You’re a good lookin’ guy, but I prefer blonds.” He reached out for the half empty bottle of scotch, but Tex slapped his hand away. She wanted to save the rest.   
“Am I your type, Tucker?” Tex teased him.  
“Nah, you’re like my height, I want someone tall.”   
Tex frowned. “You’re too picky.”   
Church gave a drunken smile as he looked at Tex. “Don’ worry, you’re jus’ my type.” He kissed her forehead.  
She giggled. “Yer so cute. I could just eat you up.” She put a finger under his chin and kissed him on the lips.   
“Get a room.” Tucker really didn’t want to be right next to them if things escalated.   
“If we’re gonna fuck we’re not gonna do it here with you and Caboose around. That’s like doin’ it when the kids are home.” Tex assured him as Church’s face turned red.   
“Tex, you’re so embarrassing…” He whined, burying his face in Tex’s shoulder.   
“You’re both gross.” Tucker said before struggling to his feet. “I’m goin’ to bed. Tex, you better not get him pregnant.” He said before flopping into his hammock.   
Tucker was out like a light; the second his body hit the net he was asleep. Now that they were alone, Tex downed the rest of the wine and waited for her eyes to focus on Church. “Y’know, my offer from earlier still applies.”  
He thought for a moment. “The one where you’d teach me to swim?”  
“No, silly, the one where I said I’d help you relax…” She shifted her position from laying across his lap to straddling him, her face just a few inches from his.   
“Oh… Oh!” He realized what she was talking about and blushed deeper.  
“So what d’ya say?” She looked into those beautiful green eyes as she draped her arms over his shoulders.   
He was paralyzed by her gaze, but after a few moments of stunned silence, he nodded.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i have finally returned. this chapter is significantly longer than the others simply because i took more time and i wanted to fit all the sexy stuff into one chapter so anyone who really doesn't want to read it doesn't have to. there's no plot in this chapter, but there's some relationship development and some characterization for church. i just hope that it's not too glaringly obvious that i'm a big lesbian who is gay as fuck for agent texas but let's be honest who isn't.

Tex led him away from the camp where Tucker and Caboose were sound asleep. She seemed to be getting through the trees just fine, gracefully hopping over roots or slipping in between trunks, while Church stumbled behind her and nearly tripped on everything. His clumsiness was partially from the wine, but mostly because he wouldn’t take his eyes off of her to watch where he was going.   
Eventually they found a clearing in the woods; it was a little patch of soft grass just big enough for the two of them. When he stepped into the open he felt his heart skip a beat. Tex was standing and looking up at the stars, her features illuminated in silver and giving the illusion that she was made out of moonlight itself. He was completely taken by her beauty; every little detail only made his heart beat faster. The little notch in her eyebrow from a scar she’d gotten in her years as a pirate, the way a few locks of hair that didn’t quite make it to her ponytail hung by her face, the freckles on her cheeks from days spent working in the sun – it all made her the most gorgeous person in the world to him. When she looked down and met his eyes, he couldn’t breathe for a second.   
She reached her hand out to beckon him to the middle where she was standing. It took him a moment to respond before bumbling towards her and taking her hand. She gently tugged him toward her, then got up on the tips of her toes to kiss his lips. Her free hand wrapped around his waist to pull him closer as he tried to figure out what he was supposed to do. Eventually he figure out he should put his arms around her waist as well.   
As soon as he let go of her hand it started sliding up his shirt, feeling the warm skin underneath. When his breath hitched from her cold fingers, she smirked a bit and put her other hand under his shirt just for fun.   
Their lips parted briefly for him to speak. “God, your hands are fucking cold.”  
“Is that a problem?” She said, putting her hands on the ticklish spot under his ribs and giggling when he squeaked.   
“Stop that.” He whined with a smile on his face.  
“Make me.” She teased him before removing her hand to pull his head down to where she could kiss it.   
Taking that as a challenge, he tried grabbing her wrists to pin her against the tree behind her, but she was one step ahead of him. When his fingers brushed her hands she took his wrists and turned to pin him against the tree instead. With his hands held to the sides of the trunk, he looked down at her smug expression and blushed.   
“Wanna try that again?” She planted a kiss on his cheek, starting a trail along his jaw line, down his neck, then along his collarbone. She gently sucked on the skin there, leaving a pink mark behind when she moved to his lips again.   
When she released his hands to run them along his waist, his own shaky hands fumbled as they followed hers. She tugged at the fabric of his shirt before helping him pull it over his head. Once that was out of the way, she pulled him back towards the center of the clearing and brought him down to the ground with her. He sat with his legs out in front of him, his heart picking up speed when she straddled him.   
The look of reverence in his eyes only served to encourage her as she rolled her hips down against his. He let out a surprised squeak and felt his face get hot. Her calloused fingertips traced down his abs before she placed her hand in between his legs. The look on his face when she gently squeezed made her grin. “This is your first time isn’t it?”  
He nodded in response.  
“Don’t worry, I’ll be gentle, and if I do anything you don’t like just tell me.” She assured him.   
Again, he nodded. Though he was a bit nervous, he wanted her badly. With her reassurance, he started pushing the fabric of her shirt up. Taking the hint, she pulled it off and tossed it aside. Now he wasn’t quite sure what to do, but she knew exactly what came next. She stood in front of him and undid her belt, then let her pants drop.   
He couldn’t tear his eyes away from her. Most men would consider her body to be imperfect; she was scarred, muscular, and had clearly spent a long time in the sun. She was far from the perfect porcelain dolls that most men dreamed of, but to Church she appeared as a goddess. The confidence in her posture made her look taller than the trees themselves and gave her an air of royalty, whereas the evidence of her years of fighting made her look like one of the legendary Amazons he’d heard stories of. Just this sight of her in the moonlight took his breath away.   
When she came back down to his level and crawled on top of him, he was frozen. She gently guided one of his hands between her thighs. He looked in her eyes for permission and waited for her nod before he slowly pushed a finger into her.   
She shivered at the feeling, biting her lip as he started to move. As she draped her arms over his shoulder to keep her balance, she made soft noises and closed her eyes. “Right… right there…” Her voice was hushed, but heavy with need.   
He did as he was instructed and brushed his finger against the same spot, the heat returning to his face when she let out a moan. Before he could do it again though, she took hold of his wrist. “That’s enough.” She said, then unbuckled his belt.   
His heart pounded as she pushed his pants down around his knees and hovered just over the tip of his erection.   
“Are you ready?” She asked him, her eyes – turned steel grey by the moonlight – meeting his.   
All he could manage was another nod.   
She lowered herself down slowly, drawing a shaky breath as she did so. Church tipped his head back and stifled the noise rising in his throat. He’d never felt anything like it; for a moment it was the greatest feeling in the world, and then she started moving.   
It started off slow, pulling a few desperate sounds out of him that he didn’t even know were in his vocal range, but she got just a bit faster once she was used to the feeling. For him, it was the best kind of torture. Now that he’d had a taste, he desperately wanted more, and the pace that Tex had settled on was too slow for him.   
“M-more…” He stammered. “Please…”   
She smirked and stopped moving. “What was that?”  
He squirmed underneath her, his body still not sure what to do with the feeling Tex was giving him. “I n-need more…” His voice was low and breathy.  
The smirk melted when she grabbed his face and kissed him, her hips starting to move again. This time he rested his hands on her waist, feeling her muscles work beneath his fingers.   
She kissed him more passionately now. It was sloppy and soon made his lips feel raw, but he loved it. Her tongue muffled the moans she drew from him with her forceful motions and the nimble fingers that tangled into and gently tugged at his thick, dark hair. He bucked his hips up against her as he let out another moan that mingled with hers.   
He was losing control over his movements. His legs and spine twitched while his fingers curled, begging for something to grip. She was driving his further and further, though he wasn’t entirely sure towards what. For now, all he knew was that that it felt like nothing he’d every felt before. Every movement, every hitch of breath when his hips pressed up against her, every moan, every reckless kiss, it all was driving him crazy in the best way. The more he got, the more desperate he became.  
“Tex, I-I-…” He didn’t finish his sentence. Just when he thought the overwhelming need was actually going to drive him insane, an intense wave of pleasure washed over him. It ripped through his entire body, making his back arch and his legs shake. His voice was brought to a quivering falsetto between short, trembling gulps of air. While he caught his breath and rode out the aftershocks, Tex left gentle, sloppy kissed on his exposed throat.   
His entire body was shaking for a moment, but she dragged him back to reality. “I’m not done yet.” She purred, helping him sit up again.   
Now he would do anything for her. He would give her all the stars in the sky, he would rearrange the continents any way she desired, he would trap the moon in the sky for eternity if only to keep the silver light that turned her into this warrior goddess that had him spellbound. He followed her movements without question as he was guided by her hand onto his knees, waiting patiently for her to settle down in front of him before pulling her in close. Her bare back was warm against his chest, allowing him to feel her own fluttering heartbeat. One arm snaked around her waist as he kissed the nape of her neck tenderly. The other arm she took by the wrist and brought between her legs again, but now he knew what to do.   
Again, he started with one finger, slowly moving his hand while he sucked on the sensitive skin between her collarbone and her throat. Now that he was holding her he could feel her body move whenever he did something she liked. When she gripped the arm holding her to him he knew he had found that sensitive spot that made her moan.   
When he added another finger, she had to cover her mouth to keep from being too loud. He learned quickly what made her twitch and let out those little noises he was starting to find so endearing. There were still a few times when she had to guide him, but his hands that had shaken so much earlier were steady and eager to please her.   
She tensed up, pressing firmly against him for a few seconds while a high-pitched moan spilled out from behind her hand. Her breathing was heavy as she slowly relaxed, melting back into his arms. After a few moments she turned her head back towards him and pulled him into a deep kiss. When they parted again, she looked up at him with half lidded eyes and seemed to glow even more in the moonlight now.   
It was then Church realized just how exhausted her was. He was so completely drained, and mixed with the wine they’d shared earlier, he was about ready to pass out. He used what little energy he had left to pull his pants back up and laid back in the soft grass.   
Tex, meanwhile, had pulled her pants on along with Church’s shirt before curling up next to him and closing her eyes, His warmth drawing her into sleep too quickly for her to even say goodnight. It was all right, though, because Church wasn’t awake long enough to notice.

**Author's Note:**

> sorry about the formatting. ao3 likes to eat indents and i haven't found a way to fix it yet. hope it was readable enough.


End file.
